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Les Miserables (2012)

Anyone see the first trailer for the new Les Mis movie? It stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crow, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Samanatha Barks, among many more. Although I'm not too thrilled with Anne Hathaway's rendition of I Dreamed a Dream I think it's going to be an amazing movie.

Re: Les Miserables (2012)

I wonder.
Do these 'opera' things work on film? No one liked Evita.
But the Hooper director made that king movie palatable.
Is Jackman past his use-by date? and Crowe is suitably obnoxious.
I don't know.

Re: Les Miserables (2012)

Originally Posted by Telstra

I guess the movie producers don't have anymore new ideas.

How many "Les Miserables" movies out there already ?

Well the only other one produced was the one from 1998 with Uma Thurmon as Fantine but that one was based on the actual book and had no singing in it. This is the first major Hollywood production that is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical.

Re: Les Miserables (2012)

I can't wait either. I just went to the play Les Miserable a few weeks ago. I have seen Les Mis a couple of time, and this was the worst rendition I have ever seen. It was their anniversary play and they cut a lot of stuff from the play. My friend, who has never seen it before, was completely lost. They even cut out a lot of the Thernadier's scenes which was dumb because that was the funny part of the play.

Re: Les Miserables (2012)

Originally Posted by Ohiospeedo

I can't wait either. I just went to the play Les Miserable a few weeks ago. I have seen Les Mis a couple of time, and this was the worst rendition I have ever seen. It was their anniversary play and they cut a lot of stuff from the play. My friend, who has never seen it before, was completely lost. They even cut out a lot of the Thernadier's scenes which was dumb because that was the funny part of the play.

Yeah that's the only thing I'm worried about. I'm just afraid they're going to cut out a lot of great songs. It's going to be hard to transform a 3 1/2 hour musical into a movie that everyone will want to go see, not just fans of the musical. I did hear that they are composing a brand new song specifically for the movie, so we'll see how that goes. Either way I'm super pumped.

I just saw Les Miserables

It was great! I was really touched and yes, I cried like a baby.

I was impressed with the performances. I read Adam Lambert's review on twitter. He said that while he enjoyed the emotional performances, the actors were "pretending" to be singers. Then went on to say that they shouldnt have sang live and should have pre-recorded to "sweeten" the vocals.

Russell Crowe tweeted back and said that yes the vocals could have been sweetened in the studio but the director wanted it raw and real.

Russell Crowe is too kind. Im not a singer, but it was clear that the cast worked their asses off. I didn't see any pretending. I was overcome by the performances and while they could have polished the vocals, I felt like it would have been a little too 'Glee'. I love Glee, but this was Les Mis and the live performances felt appropriate.

Im going to be a girl and say that I fell in love with the men in this film all over again. It was like seeing them for the first time. Hugh Jackman, Aaron Tveit, Eddie Redmayne and Russell Crowe. Anne Hathaway was amazing/heartbreaking, Amanda Seyfried couldn't have been anymore beautiful and talented. Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen were hilarious (and I dont even like Sasha).

It was great to see Samantha Barks from the Broadway cast. She's so talented and dont even get me started on little Gavroche. I hope to see that kid in a ton of other stuff.

Re: I just saw Les Miserables

I echo evrything you said MissAnne. The only disappointment was Russell Crowes singing voice. His acting was great. Everyone elses voices were spot on. Tons of emotions in them. Going to see it again on my next day off from work.

Re: Les Miserables (2012)

Saw it; liked it, for the most part...I've been obsessed with Les Miserables since we studied it in grade 7, so for quite awhile. Our teacher played us the 25th Anniversary DVD in class and that got me more or less hooked on the musical as well.

I have to say, I think Anne Hathaway is a shoe-in for a best supporting actress Oscar from this film...

However, I must admit that I didn't care for Crowe's portrayal of Javert; his voice just doesn't seem like the right fit for the part...It's not that he's a terrible singer or actor, he's not, it just didn't sound like it fit right. I can think particularly of 'The Confrontation' between Valjean and Javert in the hospital; it's supposed to be a good counterpoint moment for both actors, but Jackman completely drowns out Crowe during it.

Not to mention his version of

Spoiler: (Highlight this box to see the hidden message.)

Javert's Suicide completely lacks the emotion of either anger or pathos or the honest look of a man descending into madness and agony over his entire worldview being destroyed in front of him

But it was a good movie, wonderfully shot, and a lot of the numbers rival some of the production numbers I've heard on stage. Redmayne's "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" is simply astonishing, and the version of "Can You Hear the People Sing" is wonderful as well.

It's worth a watch, but it's not perfect.

I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but I'm afraid my walk has become rather sillier recently...

Re: Les Miserables (2012)

Great cast the casting Director pulled together but I'm not gonna see this....I think once upon a time I would have....I knew I could no longer sit through a Movie Musical when I prayed for Mamma Mia's closing credits....I Love Meryl MADLY but not even she could win me over...

I will say this....The only Musicals that I will watch at home till the end of time will always be West Side Story, Grease, School Daze , Little Shop of Horrors and believe it or not Pete's Dragon....Helen Reddy's voice in Pete's Dragon is out of this world...That woman can sing.......

So give me a Movie Musical with a little bit of Soul sanging and I might give it a chance....

Re: Les Miserables (2012)

I think, like many stage musicals brought to the screen, it lacked the immediacy and energy of the stage production. All the elements were there, it was just okay. Anna Hathaway was wonderful, as was Samantha Barks who was excellent in the sad role. I also noticing that Aaron Tveit is not getting much attention - I thought he was rather good. And HOT!

For all sad words of tongue and pen,
The saddest are these, 'It might have been.'

Re: Les Miz?

It was a decent adaptation of the musical. Of course, it's impossible to faithfully adapt a 1600-page novel into a play or film without sacrificing large portions of the plot, but it's an entertaining film nonetheless. The one major negative was the casting of Russell Crowe. He was abysmal as Javert.

Recently I heard a 'wise guy' story that I had a party at my home for twenty-five men. It's an interesting story, but I don't know twenty-five men I'd want to invite to a party. ~Joan Crawford

Re: Les Miz?

I actually didn't think that Crowe was a s bad as we feared.

The filming was pretty novel for a musical film...I was mesmerized by the hand held cam continuous shooting and the fact that the music is delivered live on set and not over dubbed.....the make-up (you'll see what I mean if you see the film) was incredibly handled having seen the stage musical version several times.....suddenly you are struck by how intimate a movie can make this story while at the smae time going all balls out on the mega-staging and props and scenography.

Re: Les Miz?

Originally Posted by LilBit

It was a decent adaptation of the musical. Of course, it's impossible to faithfully adapt a 1600-page novel into a play or film without sacrificing large portions of the plot, but it's an entertaining film nonetheless. The one major negative was the casting of Russell Crowe. He was abysmal as Javert.

Crowe as Javert is why I haven't seen it. Stars is one of my all time favourite songs in a musical. If Crowe massacres it I'll cry.

Re: Les Miz?

The songs were recorded directly on the set. That means that you are hearing them more or less singing live with all the flaws of a live performance.

It has a Baz Luhrman quality.

In this case though, as I mentioned, we are literally so close into the action and the characters that it isn't really about the singing only, as opposed to the stage version where the singing has to be flawless and 'big'.

I didn't think that anyone was that horrible, including Crowe.

It was a big risk...but from the number of people crying around us..I think it worked.

Re: Les Miz?

I saw the stage shaw a few years ago, but just about all I remember is how uncomfortable the seats were. Neither that experience nor the presence of Crowe encourages me to see the film. It'll be shown on TV in a few years and I think I can wait.

Re: Les Miz?

Haven't seen it in any of its incarnations over the years, but this is the first time I've been keen to see a musical movie.

Reviews were incredibly mixed, though. Ebert, whose reviews I tend to agree with most, hasn't seen it yet. The other two I default to had mixed reviews - Rolling Stone's Peter Travers loved it; Time's Richard Corliss was less than enthusiastic, but more about the OTT directing than anything else.

Re: Les Miz?

I love musicals for years a couple we know begged is to see it they had so many time. By the last 20 min I was ready to kill the guy I think it was the worst fucken musical ever made. The story made up of several books should be read its wonderful.

Re: Les Miz?

i saw it opening week. thought it was pretty good. there were some parts that were a little off because they used live singing, but i feel that it brought more feel to the emotions being portrayed. i also think it was cast decently.

Re: Les Miz?

The songs were recorded directly on the set. That means that you are hearing them more or less singing live with all the flaws of a live performance.

It has a Baz Luhrman quality.

In this case though, as I mentioned, we are literally so close into the action and the characters that it isn't really about the singing only, as opposed to the stage version where the singing has to be flawless and 'big'.

I didn't think that anyone was that horrible, including Crowe.

It was a big risk...but from the number of people crying around us..I think it worked.

Ah, but were people crying because of the tender heartbreaking story and high-quality acting OR because they want to kill the actors for singing badly?

Then again, I would watch any Hugh Jackman's film even if the only thing he did in there is just slow-shagging a corpse on a sharp eroded boulder and speaking dirty horrendously

(I want to post Isaac's review, which may or may not be a joke, but my work IP blocks FB --' the only thing I remember very well was Jackman's falsetto is as thick and creamy as his chest hair - and that he sounds like a hamster during high tones )

come now, my child. if we were planning to harm you, do you think
we'd be lurking here beside the path in the darkest part of the forest?

Re: Les Miz?

A review from Isaac. I couldn't stop rotflmao-ing.

Like oh my gosh you didn't like it? I think you just didn't understand like seriously Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman gave the singing performances of the decade and wow like Amanda Seyfried she totally had the deepest voice out of all the woman like oh my gosh the only person I can say that sucked was Anne Hathawat yah she totally cannot sing but oh my gosh Hugh Jackman's falsetto was so thick and creamy just like his chest hair.

Summary of Les Mis: Unnecessary chest hair, Hugh Jackman sounds like a hamster, Hugh Jackman looks like Mozart, Helena Bonham Carter is the same person in every single movie she does, the best sound that came out of Russel Crowe was the sound of his face hitting the concrete and snapping in half, Amanda Seyfried cannot sing anything higher than an F, that freckled face guy needs to stop crying, everyone else in the theater needs to stop crying, ENJOLRAS !!!!!!!!!! Love, girl from Broadway who played Eponine was aight, and Anne Hathway like woah.

Well... I've never seen a movie that was SO good but SO SO bad at the exact same time. It's a weird feeling. And yeah I get it, it's Hollywood... I'm not asking for amazing singers, but at least make them believable. Every time Russel Crowe opened his mouth I wanted to die and every time Wolverine opened his mouth (in the second half where he had high notes), he sounded like a hamster. I couldn't stop myself from cracking up. And Amanda Seyfried has NO excuses for being so bad.

Also so much unrequited love between Valjean and Javert.

come now, my child. if we were planning to harm you, do you think
we'd be lurking here beside the path in the darkest part of the forest?

Re: Les Miz?

I've seen most movie versions of recent 'blockbuster' stage musicals (Phantom, Evita, Mamma Mia etc) and I wouldn't give you tuppence for any of them. As for Les Mis, well it is my favourite stage musical of all time, so I was hoping and praying that the movie wouldn't disappoint. And I'm happy to say that I loved every second of it! I agree that Russell Crowe's voice wasn't the best, though I felt that he made a suitably menacing Javert. Amanda Seyfried's voice, too, didn't do a lot for me, though again, she played the part of Cosette very well. Everyone, and everything else about the film was absolutely brilliant, IMO. And yes, I even bawled like a baby in all the right places!

One other thing, if anyone was contemplating waiting for it to come out on DVD before seeing it at home, then don't! This is a big, big production with breathtaking cinematography that can only be fully appreciated on the big screen.

Re: Les Miserables (2012)

I love musicals... I'm that gay. But I hated this movie. Most of the music was really boring. The acting was good. Some of the singing was pretty awkward. I just wanted to leave. My guy fell asleep at one point. Did NOT enjoy it at all.